Elevator



$14 5. M. MERQIER ELEVATOR Filed Sept. 1, 1943 f/VVf/VTOE, STANLEY MMEECIEE,

54 ATTY mmww R m C R E M M S ELEVATOR 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 1, 1943 //y l E/V TOE} STANLEY M.M EECIEE) /NA a MIWERCIER ELEVATOR 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed p 1. 194:5

, f/VVf/VTQ STANLEY M. Mes-2cm,

5. M, MERCIER ELEVATOR 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Sept. 1, 1943 Q MW Wm. L Q y B m m N B z mm mz S. M. MERCIER Dem, EU EWW ELEVATOR 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Sept. 1, 1943 Patented Dec. 20; 1949 ELEVATOR Stanley M. Mercier, Bexley, Ohio, assignor, by

mesne assignments, to The .I'eflrey Manufacturing Company, a corporation of Ohio Application. September 1, 1943, SerialNo. 500,799

Claims. (01. 198--140) This invention relates to an elevator or conveyor which is constructed particularly for the elevation of hot material such as hot clay used in the cracking of petroleum.

An object of the invention is to provide an elevator or conveyor of great height which has a frame structure formed independently of the housing or casing which substantially totally encloses the elevating or conveying mechanism.

further object of the invention is to provide a conveyor of the above mentioned type in which the housing or casing is formed largely if not totally of insulating Walls, within an exterior supporting structure.

A further object of the invention is to provide a conveyor casing or hous ng of the above mentioned type in which the walls are formed of separable panels independently suspended from the main frame and also preferably mounted for lateral and vertical or upright expansion with respect to said main frame.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved conveyor housing including a main frame having spaced upright corner members rigidly connected at spaced horizontal planes by belts each of which includes four plates opposite '1 [es of which connect the upright corner membe and opposite plates of which are spaced inwardly of the corner members and connected at opposite ends to the first pair of plates thereforzning spaced circumferential belts adapted to support tubular sections of the conveyor housing between and spaced from the upright corner members.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved conveyor mechanism including a main frame having a conveyormechanism operating therein and a housing associated therewith for enclosing a conveyor mechanism, the housing including a plurality of separate insulated panels and separate aligned conveyor guide means associated with separate of said panels for guiding the conveyor mechanism, said guides being mounted to provide for relative movement of the guides and panels in response to expansion and contraction thereof.

Other objects of the invention will appear hereina fter, the novel features and combinations being set forth in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig, 1 is a side elevational view of an elevator or conveyor incorporating the features of my invention;

Fig. 2 is a view of the head portion of the conveyor taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view of the conveyor, the view being taken. on line 3-3 of Fig. l;

" Fig. 4. is an enlargeddetailedsectional view showing certain details of the top ventilating door of the conveyor housing;

Fig. 5' is an enlarged detailed view showing a detail of the bottom ventilating door of the conveyor housing;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged sectional elevational view through the axis of the foot shaft of the conveyor showing one end of said foot shaft and associated structure;

Fig. 7 is a transverse sectional view showing one end of the head shaft and head sprocket of the elevator or conveyor;

Fig. 8 is a view of a tooth of the head sprocket and associated parts;

Fig. 9is an elevational view of one of the wheels of the foot shaft, part of the wheel being broken away;

Fig. 10 is a sectional plan view showing one end of the foot shaft and associated apparatus, the view being taken substantially at right angles to the view of Fig. 6, no attempt being made in this Fig. 10 to show the foot wheel and associated insulating material;

Fig. 11 is an end view of the bearing housing for the head shaft with the housing cap removed, the view being taken on line ll-II of Fig. 7, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 12 is an enlarged side view of a portion of one side of the main frame of the elevator showing the attaching bolts for attaching removable panels of the conveyor housing or casins;

Fig. I3 is a sectional view taken on the line l-3--I3 of Fig. 12, looking in the direction ofthe arrows;

Fig. 14 is a sectional view taken on the line I l-M of Fig. 12, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Figs. 15 and 16 are enlarged sectional elevational views showing modified forms of mechanism for attaching sectional guides for the conveyor chain to the adjacent panels of the conveyor housing or casing;

Fig. 17 is an enlargedsectional view showing particularly an auxiliary discharge chute for guiding material from the conveyor buckets to the main discharge chute;

Fig. 18 is a transverse sectional view of the conveyor taken on line l8|8 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 19 is a sectional view taken on line 19-49 of Fig. 2.

The elevator or conveyor of my invention is illustrated as of the bucket type and this is the preferred form, though it is evident that many features thereof are adaptable to other types of conveyors and elevators and certain features while designed particularly for my elevator and conveyor may find use in other fields where related problems are found.

It maybe stated that the invention hassolved a number of problems most of which have been created by virtue of the specific task for which the elevator or conveyor was designed to perform. To understand the reasons which present the numerous problems I have solved it may be mentioned that in one installation involving my invention the elevator or conveyor has a height of approximately 175 feet. Furthermore, this elevator or conveyor is not contained within a building but is exposed to all of the elements including particularly rain and wind. A still further complication which presented problems was the fact that the elevator or conveyor above mentioned was designed particularly to elevate hot material such as hot fullers earth which was used as a catalyst in a process for cracking petroleum, to produce a high octane fuel or gasoline. For example, in this one installation the temperature inside the casing at times approximates 1000 degrees Fahrenheit and it is an interesting fact that because of the great height of the elevator and the high temperature differential between the inside and outside, there are times when the temperatures on one side of the conveyor are considerably higher than on the other side, depending on the direction of the wind. The conveyor, therefore, not only has to compensate for differences between its operating temperature and the ambient temperatures but the mere force of the wind itself becomes a factor in a device of this height, considering its proportionally small base.

As above indicated, while many of the features have been designed to overcome problems peculiar to the conditions above mentioned, it is evident that some of them have a much wider range and use.

Referring to the particular structure of the conveyor of my invention, said conveyor comprises a vertical or upwardly extending tower or main frame which main frame 20, as viewed in cross section in Figs. 3 and 18 of the drawings, is rectangular in shape and each of the four corners includes a vertical or upright structural member such as a channel 2 l. Each of the channels 2! in the finally assembled condition of the main fram 20 constitutes a continuous upright member which extends from the foot or bottom of the main frame 20 to the top thereof. It is to be understood that these continuous channels 2| may be built up of individual channel members rigidly connected together in any desired manner. At their bottoms the channels 2! are provided with feet 22 preferably rigidly attached to base members which may, for example, be mounted on a poured concrete base sunk sufficiently in the ground to provide a firm foundation. At their tops the channel members 2! are rigidly connected together by side I-beams 23 and cross channels it, all of said structural members 2!, 23 and 2 3 being rigidly connected together. Along the sides, each of the two front and rear channel members 29 are connected by one or more diagonal braces 25 as well as by horizontal angle braces 25. On the same plane with each of the angle braces 2'6 and on the back and front of the main frame or tower 20, I provide moment connections in the form of horizontal plates 2? each rigidly connected at its opposite ends to a pair of channels 2 i, (see Figs. 18 and 19) said horizontal plates 21 being provided with a pair of spaced horizontal stiffeners 28 so as to increase their rigidity. This particular frame construction makes it possible to remove individual panels of the casing or housing of the conveyor, as described more completely hereinafter.

It may be pointed out that the plates 21 are preferably vertically spaced a uniform distance apart and in one installation this distance is eight feet. It is evident, however, that the foot and head sections of the conveyor are of special and different construction. The main frame or tower of the conveyor is an independent selfsupporting structural unit and in fact it acts as an outside support for a sectional housing or casing and cooperates therewith to form a complete housing structure connecting the head and foot sections of the conveyor, as hereinafter described more completely. Furthermore, this main frame or tower is entirely outside the elevator casing and removed from the influence of high temperature within said casing and thus free from major thermal stresses and strains.

Mounted upon the I-beams 23 at the top of the main frame 20 is a pair of spaced bearing boxes 29, the structur of which is disclosed in detail in Fig. 7 of the drawings and which is described hereinafter. At this time it may be pointed out that the bearing boxes 29 support a horizontally extending head shaft 3|! which carries a head support assembly 31, which is also described in detail hereinafter. For the moment it may be pointed out that the head support 3| includes a pair of sprocket wheels 32 which cooperate with and drive a pair of spaced endless chains 33 of a bucket elevator or conveyor mechanism 34.

Extending between the two chains 33 and carried thereby is a plurality of buckets 35, said buckets 35 being rigidly attached adjacent their sides to the inner side bars of the chains 33 by appropriate brackets or attachments 36 (see Fig- 6).

At the foot or bottom of the tower or main frame 28 there is a foot shaft 3'! which is disclosed in detail in Fig. 6 of the drawings and which is described more completely hereinafter. For the moment it may be pointed out that the foot shaft 31 carries a foot shaft assembly 38 including a pair of spaced traction wheels 39 which receive the two endless chain 33.

One of the important features of my invention is the provision of a totally enclosing housing or casing 40 which has a number of distinctive characteristics. In the first place, this housing or casing 40 is insulated in view of the fact that the internal temperature thereof may become very high and in one installation a temperature of 1000 degrees Fahrenheit was encountered. The main frame 2!} is not subject to this high temperature as it is outside the casing and is thus free of heat stresses.

Another characteristic is that the casing is in no sense a main frame for the elevator or conveyor as is usually the case where an enclosing casing or housing is provided. Furthermore, the casing is made up of individual panels and each panel is mounted for expansion both vertically and laterally with respect to the main frame 20. The casing or housing 40 includes three principal parts or sections which are the head section, foot section and a plurality of intermediate sections. The head section is generally designated by the reference character 4!, this being the part of the casing or housing associated with the head sprocket assembly 3|. This head part 4| merely comprises a totally enclosing hood made up of top, front, back and side plates, all rigidly connected together and reinforced by appropriate c an es -'5 angle membersand in cvhich-nthe interior thereof is lined withaa plastictinsulating material, the insulating material :being attached .to. a metal casing forming this section or part by appropriate studs, the heads of which aremolded into the insulating material.

Th head section or apartxof casing 4l also includes a main discharge .ispoutori chute 42. ,It may be pointed .outzthat onetof the. features of my invention, WhiChmiS illustrated.particularly in Fig. 17 of the drawings, involves :this main dischargespout orschute 42. -It;is.desir.able to prevent as littlecarry :overcofrmateria1 as possible or, in other-words; tozeflect as nearly as possible a complete discharge ::of the .material as the bucketsgo .over. the head sprocketlassembly 31 and discharge the material .onto the chute 42. At the .same .time, if .thiswere attempted to be done by placingthe upper; edge of the discharge chute 42 quite closetotlie pathof travel of the lower edge .ofweachebucket 35 itgispossible that duringoperation the 'said bucket edges might hit the. chute edge andgcausedamageto one or both. To produce the desiredvresultyet to overcome the possibilit of any damage, I provide an auxiliarychute :23 (see .Fig. 17) whichextends the full width of the main chute 32 @and is pivotally attached thereto-one horizontal axis at a point such that the bottomeof said auxiliary chute will normally rest on the main chute 42 while the top edge thereof is closelyiadjacent the path of travel of the foremost edge of each bucket .35. As a consequence of this structure, there is a minimum carryover of materialirom the working run to the return run of the'conveyor mechanism 34 and should the forward edge of :any bucket 35 strike the upper edge of theauXiliary chute 43, said chute 43 is free to pivot about its horizontal axis provided by pivot bolts :44 so as to prevent any damage either to the bucket or auxiliary chute 43. Since thepivotalaxisiof chute 43 is to the right of its center .of -gravity,as viewed in Fig. 17, it is evident that the left hand-end thereof will automatically, move downwardly and restore the auxiliary chute 43 to its-normal position, as illustrated in Fig. 17 of the drawings, as soon as it is released by the passing of a bucket 35 which has contacted it. The discharge chute or spout 42 above described isclaimed in my Patent No. 2,400,246, dated-May 14, 1946, entitled Conveyor.

Another feature of thehead. part or section of casing 45 is a slidingdoor-ddwhich is illustrated more in detail in Fig. 40f the drawings. The door 45 is constructed to slide in: spaced clamping guide means 46 which, when released, permits lateral sliding thereof and which may be clamped so as to clamp the door 45 rigidly-in place. The function of, the door 45 is primarily to provide a top ventilator so that when it is open the hot gases or hot air withinthe casingqor housing 40 may be vented and .thus the interior thereof cooled. This may be. desirable, particularly when the machine is shut down for repairs.

At the otherend of the housing or casing 40 there is a foot part or section "41 and this foot section involves anumber of important details of construction. In the first place, the foot section includes a feed chute 8-by which hot clay or other material to be elevated is delivered preferably directly into fthebu'ckets 35 at the bottom of the feed run .cfthe; conveyor mechanism 34. Furthermore, the footsection .01 part '41 includes structure providingemgastiglitr dust: and heat seal forthe foot shaftdliwhichds mounted r'iorasub- :stantially rreenvertical movementzthrough cal-imited; range so as to compensate.- for :iehanges :in the lengths of the chains :33; particularly under the influence of temperature :changes. 5 Furthermore, it: may be pointedtout that theimain frame 20 adjacent *lthexfootgsection x4! is :provided 'with considerable rauxiliaryequipment, as hereinafter described morezcompletely.

Adjacent-the :bottomz-iandlreanof the foot 'section 41 there is a draft onzair-inlet. door 49;shown in some detail-.inyFig. 5 of the :drawings, which when opened provides. an inlet .forzth'e airyto .cool the housing 4 or casing 40, asrabove rnentioned. In other words; theJtWO doors "45 and .49 will. be simultaneously openedrto cool the casing .or housing 4 ie and when it is fdesired 'to 161101058 said housing or casing 40 "these two :doors :will :be closed. Adjacent the :door 249- the casing :ls :not insuiated because this-.is below-theposition where the hot materialds present. The door 49 .is preferably .of the :sliding Ltype andyis provided with clamping guide meansaquitejsimilar t-o'ethe guide means 46 provided for door 45.

Attention is now directed" to Figs. 1,16 .and. 10 of the drawings and totthe structure of the :foot part or section ll of casing 4flu and associated apparatus whichpprovides the gastight'heat and dust seal while providing for floating vertical movement of the footshaft' 31.

Referring particularly to;Figs.a 6. and 10 of :the drawings which illustrate:structurewhich is duplicated on each sideof the-elevator, itwill be seen that the housing or casing "40 in'this sec- .tion includes a steel or metal side plate 50 which is attached to the adjacent portion of the main frame or towerill. 'Rigidly attached to the side plate 55 and formingthe lining of this portion of the casing or housing 40 is a heavy plate of insulating material 5| which is' the same in texture as the insulating material used throughout mostof the casing 49 to provide the insulating lining thereof and is preferably in' the form of-wa molded insulating material having high insulation characteristics. The. metal plate 50 and the insulatin material 5| are provided witha vertical elongated slot 152 which is provided with a metal frameu53, rigidly attached to theplate 55 as by welding. :Th ufootes'haf-t "31 extends through the slot 52 and frame 53 and is mounted to move freely in a vertical direction therein. On the outside of'theaplate fifl and adjacent the slot :52 isqa stationary box structure 54 which is formed by a pair of spaced vertical angle members 55 (see 'Fig. l0) swhich'are rigidly attached to the plate by'appropriate' bolts. -Riveted to the angle memberszefi and. extending across the outer free ends thereof "is a U-shaped cover plate 55. Both thewtopearrdbottom of the cover plate 55 are provided with" angle members which extend between the :upright :angle members 55 and are rigidly connectedxtheretoas well as to the plate 50 and the cover plate56. "The bottom of these angle members .is seen at 51 in Fig.6 of thedrawings. It:is1thus:seen that the angle members 55 and i5! and the U-shaped cover plate: 56cooperate \tomprovide an enclosing stationary box adjacent the slot 52 and "this stationary box is provided with: an elongated slot similar to theslot 52 :whichis-"defined by a border frame member fiflpwhich frame member 53 is rigidly attached: thereto: as'tby zscrews and *in cludes a central elongated "slot :59,:which :slot 59 is somewhat widerthan the slot :52.

.Mounted on the foot sha'ftal to move upwardly and :downw-ardly therewith while at the same time providing for free rotation of shaft 3! with respect thereto, is a rectangular plate 66 of insulating material, similar to the material 5|, which is rigidly attached to a shiftable steel or metal plate 6! which has a rigidly attached frame 62 which frames the insulation plate 60 and helps to hold it rigid with the steel plate iii. The composite shiftable plate Bil-6i is mounted for sliding movement within the aforedeseribed box formed by angle members 55 and 57 and cover plate 56. In cooperation with the side plate 58 means are provided so as to effect a substantially continuous insulating wall to seal the slot 52 for all positions of adjustment of the shaft 37; To this end the inner periphery of the frame member 58 is provided with a continuous groove which carries and supports a pair of continuous strips of gasket material 63 against which the steel plate 6! continuously bears and has a sliding relation, thus providing an effective seal along this line of contact while permitting free sliding movement of the composite plate 6il6l.

Furthermore, the steel plate 8| extends around its entire periphery beyond the insulation plate 60 and the frame 62 and provides abutment or bearing areas for a plurality of coil springs 54 which are received by spaced guide posts 65 welded to a floating rectangular frame 66 made from an angle member which is bent or otherwise formed in a rectangle. The bottom of said frame 66 has frictional sliding contact with the side plate 55, the outwardly extending flange of which overlaps the frame 6?. so that as the composite plate til-52 moves up and down, it will carry the floating frame 66 held in frictional contact with the side plate 56. The overlapping flange of the frame 66 has a relatively close fit with the frame 62 so as to provide an effective seal therewith, though there is sufficient clearance between the two to provide for their relative movement along a horizontal axis. It is therefore seen that there is a double seal between the slot 52 and the atmosphere, one seal being provided by the cooperation of floating frame fit? with the side plate 50 and with the frame t2, the other seal being provided by the insulating strip 63 in cooperation with the steel plate 61.

The apparatus which provides the gas-tight heat and dust seal above described is claimed in my Patent No. 2,384,189, dated Sept. 4, 1945, entitled Elevator.

Between the head and foot sections or parts of the casing All is a plurality of intermediate sections 67 which are of generally similar construction and which form the principal portion of the casing insofar as actual height is concerned. In one installation involving my invention these intermediate sections 61 are made in eight foot lengths, though the section may have any desired length.

The structure of a typical intermediate section 6'! is illustrated in Figs. 1, 3, 12, 13 and 14 of the drawings. As above mentioned, the plates 21 are on the front and back of the main frame and constitute a part thereof. Along the sides of the main frame and also constituting a part thereof are the mentioned horizontal braces 26. Spaced inwardly from the angle braces 25 and extending between and rigidly attached at their ends to the plates 2'! are spaced plates ill (see Fig. 13) which are the same width as the plates 21 and are provided with spaced stiffeners H and which with the plates 21 and stifieners 28 cooperate to pro- Ride a circumferential belt around the entire conveyor (i and, of course, form an integral part of said frame 29. There is such a belt every eight feet.

Attached to each plate '10 is a slab or plate of insulating material 68 similar to the above described material 5i which has a plurality of embedded bolts which are attached to said plate 10 by nuts and washers 69 (see Figs. 12 and 13) which is typical of the attaching means for all insulating material and associated steel or metal plates. There is 'a band or ring of insulating panel or material formed of four separate slabs extending around the inside of each of the described belts and the plate or slab 68 is one of these separate slabs. Each of the plates 21 and it! supports a panel of the intermediate section bl of said casing (it. As previously indicated there is a belt formed by the aforedescribed plates 27 and it and associated stiffeners 28 and ii, respectively, spaced at approximately every eight foot increment in height of the elevator and each side of the elevator is made up of panels suspended from said plates 21 and 10.

As clearly illustrated in Fig. 3 of the drawings, there are front and rear panels 12 and there are two side panels 53. The front and rear panels 42 are suspended from the plate 21 and the two side panels it are suspended from the plates 70. The front and rear panels 72 are mounted to be readily removable and this is the purpose of the aforedescribed moment connections formed by said plates 2? and stiifeners 28. The side panels 73 are not intended to be readily removable though, if desired, one of them may be made up of sections, as illustrated for the center panel in Fig. i of the drawings, so as to be removable by section. Generally the panels 12 and 13 are of similar construction and each consists merely of an outer steel or metal plate such as plate 14 (see Fig. 13) to which a plate or block of insulating material 15 is rigidly attached, the insulating material E5 being similar to the aforedescribed insulating material 68 and being attached to the plate M in the manner that insulating material 65 is attached to plate 10. In other words, the individual panels forming the sides of the housing are a composite structure having an outer steel or metal surface with a liner of insulating material.

It is obvious that when the several panels of the housing id are assembled their adjacent end edges lie substantially in the same planes and that they cooperate with the fixed belt members formed by plates 2i and 10 and their attached insulating material to provide tubular sections of a totally enclosing insulating housing, it being understood that substantially the entire interior of the casing or housing at from the insulating bottom it (see Fig. 6) to the cover M has a fully insulated surface and this even extends to the feed chute 39 and the discharge chute 42, the interiors of which are lined with insulating material.

The manner in which a panel 72 and similarly a panel i3 is attached to a plate 21 or 1!] of one of the main frame belts is disclosed particularly in Figs. 12 and 13 of the drawings, to which attention is now directed.

In Fig. 12 of the drawings, the vertical line 11 designates the center line of two adjacent panels 73, one of which is above and the other below a plate 10 of one of the aforementioned belts. These Figures 12 and 13 illustrate the manner ofattaching both the-tops and the bottoms of the-sections or panels 13 to aplatell).

As clearly illustrated in Fig. 13 of the drawings, the metal plate 14 in the bottom of this figure extends upwardly beyond the upper extension of theinsulating materiall'i whichabuts the bottom of insulation 68; This upwardly extending portion of plate M overlaps the bottom por tion of plate HI and a plurality of bolts Wprovided with nuts and washers extend 1 through aligned holes in the plates 10' and T4, clamping them together.

Attention is directed particularly to Fig. 12 of the-drawings and to an important feature of my invention. It is to be noted that the bolt 18 Whlchis on the center line 11 substantially fills the two aligned holes in the-plates 10' and 14; thus making a'tight fit in said hole. The next adjacent bolt 18 both to the right and to theleft of the center line 71 isof similar construction. As a consequence adjacent the center portion-or thepanel 13 there are three boltswhich substantially: fill cooperating holes in plates 10 and 14 through which theyr ex'tendand which rigidly attach each of these two plates together in local areasthereof. There-are anumberof additional bolts 18 through aligned holes in the plates 10 and- M both to the-right'an'd to theleft of the abcve'mentioned three bolts 18 and these additional bolts mare smaller than the aligned holes in the plates wand 14. As a consequence of this construction; lateral expansion. between the two plates 10"and" 14 is :provided for'which may be extremelydesirableunder the variety of temperature conditions to which the' casing: 40 is subjected.

Each of the panels 12 and 13 is suspended at its top from a plate 2 or 10 in a similar-manner toprevide for vertical upright or longitudinal expansion of each panel 12 or 13; The lower end of each plate 14; which is illustrated in the top portion of Figs. Hand 13 of the drawings, overlaps the upper end of the associated plate-1U and is attached thereto byia plurality of bolts 19, provided with nuts and washers. To allow for ex pension of thesepanels, the boltslfl do n'oli fill the holes in platesllland' 14 through which they extend, thus allowing'relative movement betweenthe plateslfland l h The upper and lower edges of plates l l 'of panels 12 are secured to the belt plates 21 in a manner identicaltothat just described in connection with theplates M of panels 13 and belt 'plateslfl thus allowing relativemovement of the panels]! and 13 with respect to the main frame ZG-andthe belts, of which plates 27 and lflare apart. Thefront and rear panels 12 and theside panels l3 are interconnected at their side edges" (see Fig. 3) by bolts and washers in a manner similar to that by which the lower edges-ofthe panels are connected to the" members' l:

As-previously mentioned insulation 68 is at: ta ehed" to plate lliby embeddedebolts and coop erating'nuts and wa-s'hersfis. Asim'ilar row of embedded boltswith' cooperating nuts andwashone 8'! attaches the top or insulating slab or material 75 to the plate-l4. Furthermorepasi-ll-us treated inFigs. 12 and l3of: the drawings. there is'an additional row of embedded bolts provided with cooperating nuts and washers 82; which bolts areem bedded in the top of insulating 1112-" terial E8 and which extend through holesadj-al cent the bottom of plate" T4 of p'anel H-Mhus attaehingsaid plate 1-4 to the ins'ulati ng slab 8'8 Sincerelativemovem-entmay:occur between plate" the panels 13.

els 12.

As seen in Fig. 2 of the drawings the panels 12 are preferably provided with continuous rectangular frame members 84 which are rigidly at"-' tached to the steel plates thereofand extend i'n"- wardly along the top,bottom'a"nd side edgesof the insulating material forming thelining d fsaid It is thus seen that both lateral and vertical expansion of the panels 12 and 13 of the panels 12.

casing or housing 40 are provided.

It will also been seen that each intermediate section 61 of the elevator includes a tubular eds-- ing section formed of. panels 'lz and "I3 and that formed by the plates ZIand 10.

obvious that the moment members 21 rigidlycon nect cornermeinbers 2 I of'the'inain fraineZll and that the members 10 rigidly connect the moment members and thus form parts of themain frame 20; In addition to forming parts of the" main" frame these members, whichvform the cit-cum ferential-belts. also form p'arts ofthe conveyor housing and each isprovided with a slab ofinsulation which forms a sectionof' an inner surface of thehousing" or casing.

To provide guides for the 'chainsfiswhichin no way interfere with the free expansionof the side panels 13, I provide sectional trough-like members 80, there being'two' such guidemembers' thereto.

and 3.11016 in' the plate 14 afid thldiljgh" an Open bottom slotin a downwardly extending portion of web 85, clamps the emerald of the guide member 81] to the panel 73.

AS illustrated in Fig; 13 of the drawings; were is a spool type spacer 88 between the downward- 1y extending portion of w'eb'85 naeumsmsnng plate 89." Said plate 89 abuts plate 14 andi's re ceived in a recess'adj'ace'iifithe top" of the insulatioh'lfi. A Washer 90 6f insuiatingmaterim isprovided outsidethe plate was the clamping: b'o'l't'lii. Adjacentthebottom of eachguide there is a similar pair of clamping bolts 91] and associated structure. It is to bnotd, llbvl' 'e'Vei';

ilar instructure to the aroreeeserited'piate at,

1y above the plates" at: i and as; I respectiveiyg; are removed; permittingthe guide setups lifted ver:

tically and slid off the clamping washer associated with bolts 81 and 9|. It may further be pointed out that guides for locating and aligning the guide members 89 are provided in the form of inwardly extending top and bottom bars 94 and 94' which receive notches in the plates 89 and 86', respectively. The bars 94 and 94' are rigidly attached to the plate I4 as by welding.

In Fig. 15 of the drawings, I have illustrated a modified form of attaching means in which a cast thimble 95 surrounds the bolt 91' and ex tends through an insulating plate 89 which is adjacent the steel plate 14.

' In Fig. 16 of the drawings, I have illustrated a further modification of attaching means for the guide 89 which permits the removal thereof without requiring it to be lifted vertically and in this case the structure is similar to that of Fig. 15 except that a bolt 81" is provided with a cotter pin 96 which holds a washer 91 in place and the vertical portion of web 85, instead of being slotted and thus o en at the bottom as it is in the modification of Figs. 13 and 15. is merely provided with a round opening which receives a reduced portion of the thimble 95'. It is evident that by removing the cotter pin 96 and the Washer 91 the guide plate 86 may be moved horizontally without requiring any vertical movement as is required in the structures of Figs. 13 and 15.

Attention is now directed particularly to Fig. 7 of the drawings which illustrates one end of the head sprocket assembly 3|, one of the hearing boxes 29 and certain associated apparatus, it being understood that the structure is duplicated on the other side of the elevator except for differences which are hereinafter pointed out.

Mounted in spaced relation on the head shaft 39 are the head or drive sprockets 32, there being one for each of the chains 33. as previously pointed out, said sprockets 32 preferably being of similar construction. Each sprocket 32 in cludes a plate steel center ring 98 preferably keyed and welded to the shaft 39. The additional diameter of the wheel 32 is formed by a pair of concentric rings 99 and I99. the first being shrunk onto the center ring 98 and the second being in turn shrunk onto the ring 99. In building up this wheel, the ring 99 is heated to a high temperature so that it can be forced or slipped onto the ring 98 and when it cools to atmospheric temperature it will be under tension. Thereafter, the edges of the rings 98 and 99 are preferably welded together by welds I9I which may be either continuous or at spaced intervals along the peri hery thereof. In a similar manner the ring I99 is shrunk on the ring 99 and attached thereto by welds I92 similar to the welds I9I. The ring I99 is also under tension at atmospheric temperature.

As a consequence of the above structure, the wheel 32 can expand or contract with variations in temperature without causing damage thereto and at the same time the structure is such that the parts are held together both by friction and by welded connections. Since shaft 39 is cooled, as hereinafter described, the temperature of the wheel rim of possibly 1000 degrees F. will be much higher than the shaft temperature during operation of the conveyor. This wheel and shaft construction is disclosed and claimed in my application, Serial No. 607,115, filed July 26, 1945, entitled Elevator.

1 Mounted on the outer periphery of the ring I99 is a plurality of removable sprocket teeth I93 and the bottom or root of each tooth' I93 is provided with an arcuate groove which receives the periphery of the ring I99, said root of tooth I93 being bifurcated so that a portion or part thereof extends on each side of the ring I99.

The final attachment between each tooth I93 and the ring I99 is by virtue of a pair of pins I94 which have a pressed fit with aligned holes in the ring I99 and the root of tooth I93, the pins I94 preferably being welded at one or two spots to the root of tooth I 93after the parts are assembled. To remove a tooth I93 the welded spot is burned off.

To protect the major portion of the two wheels 32 from the high temperature within the casing 49 and also to reduce the transfer of heat there from through the shaft 39 and to its supporting bearings. the principal portion of said sprocket 32, including the rings 98 and 99 and part of the ring I99 as well as the major portion of the shaft 39 within the housing 49, is embedded in a heavy drum I95 of insulating material which is preferably made up of sections which are split along a plane passing through the axis of the shaft 39, transversely of itself. The drum I95 is also made in sections, there being at least one transverse section between the two sprockets 32 and two sections, one outside each of said sprockets, these transverse sections being connected together with tie rods I99. Similar tie rods I96 or t e bolts not illustrated, may interconnect the sections of drum I95 along their plane of severance parallel the axis of shaft 39. The above described sprocket wheel is claimed in my divisional application, Serial No. 711,909, filed November 23, 1946, entitled Sprocket wheel construction. 7

As clearly illustrated in Fig. '7 of the drawings, the end of the drum I95 is closely positioned with respect to the insulating material lining I31 of the head section M of casing 49. The opposite ends of head shaft 39 extend through close fitting openings in the side walls of the head section M and a stuffing box I98 is provided between each of said side walls and said shaft 39 which acts as a dirt and heat seal. A support for opposite ends of the shaft 39 is provided by a pair of self-aligning bearings, one of which is seen at I99. Said bearing I99 is preferably babbitt or bronze lined and is only semi-cylindrical in shape and supports the bottom portion of the shaft 39, since the load on the shaft 39 is always in a downward direction. The bearing I99 is enclosed and protected by the bearing box 29 which provides a lubrication well. Oil drip rings H9 are provided on shaft 39.

The structure of the bearing box 29 comprises an important contribution of my invention. In an elevator of the construction herein disclosed, due to the great height of the head shaft as well as the great weight on it, particularly when it is supporting the conveyor mechanism, it is extremely desirable to be able to renew the felt washers III which form the oil and dirt seal between the cylindrical openings on opposite sides of the bearing box 29 and the shaft 39 without requiring removal of said shaft 39 from the bearing I99. The bearing box 29 therefore includes a removable cap I I2 which preferably receives an oil pipe H3. Oil is circulated through box 29 through pipe H3 and a drain pipe, not shown.

The bottom or fixed portion of the bearing box 29 is in the form of a main casting H4 which is rigidly attached to the I-beam 23, as

c eanses it previously suggested." This casting Il lispros vided on opposite sides with removable arcuate segments or portions il s (see land 11) which on their bottoms have tongues fitting in grooves formed in the cooperating arcuate portions of casting H t.

By reference to Fig; 11 of the drawings, it will be seen that when the cap Ii 2 is removed. the arcuate segments or portions I it maybe rotated to remove them from the casting I It, whereupon the may be lifted from the shaft 30. Whenthe parts are fully assembled, the felt washers III are received in continuous circular grooves, half of which is formed in a segment H5, theiother half in an arcuate edge cap I I2. It-is obvious, however, that when the cap I i2 and thesegments H5 are removed, the felt washers III= may. be readily removed, since they are originally? cut-to place them on the shaft 353 which can be freely done with the cap H2 and segment H5 removed. To reinsert a segment M5, the groove thereof is preferably fitted over the felt washer IIIWithi the segment on top of the shaft 36. Thesegment is then rotated with its tongue in the groovein the casting I I4 until it reaches its normal position, as viewed in Figs. 7 and 11 of the drawings. Thereafter the cap M2 may be attached as by screws along the lateral edges thereof'with the grooves thereof receiving the felt washer III. bearing and shaft assembly above described is claimed in my Patent No. 2,430,236, granted November 14; 1947, entitled Bearing and shaft assembly.

As illustrated best in Fig. 2 of the drawings, it

will be noted that one end of the shaft 3!} is prowith a drive sprocket I It which is keyed to the shaft as and at the other end it is provided with a brake wheel i I? with which mechanically operated brake device H5 (Fig. 1) cooperates.

drive sprocket H6 is driven from an appropriate motor and speed reducer mechanism .I I9 I ough an appropriate chain and sprocket'or e ivalent drive are. The motor andspeed reducing mechanism I it is mounted on a platform formed on the rearward extending portions of the L-beams 25.

Another important feature of my invention resides in means for cooling or otherwise controlthe temperature of the head shafttflidi ly and by virtue of this fact cooling OI'LCOHF- aching the temperature of the bearing ltfi' for said head shaft. This is of great importance'due to the fact that in spite of all of the insulation ovided, the head shaft will become quite-hot lzl'ilEElS properly cooled. It is also because of the cooling of the shaft and the consequent 'large temperature differential between it and the-rim; of iJheel 32 that the above described special icone ction of said wheel 32 is required. To this the shaft is provided with an axial. bore i whereby it is formed as a hollow shaft. It F e understood that the cooling mechanism'is at each of the shaft 30. Extendinto the bore iZI a pipe I22, the outerpe- "y of which is spaced from the innerpesof the bore I2I. At its outer'end' the iiit is provided with a fitting I23 which acts nature of a bearing. The fitting I23 is so or of pipe I22 and a water discharge i2 is effectively connected to a passagemed between the exterior of the'pipe' I22 fie cylindrical surface provided by the bore The packing between the fitting l23"which;

stationary: and the rotating-i shaft 2 I 30 is: pros vided:.bywpackingring I26 and associated paclz ingt gland: I27! whichis." attached by screws to; the endrof-the shaft 30. The fitting I23 is mounted on a: stationary bracket I281 which maybe con-e nectedto any desired closely associated portion of the'mainframe 2D.

Adjacent its inner or-right hand end, as viewed. in. Fig. '7, the. pipe I22 is provided withradial holes I29 so' as to provide communication bee tween the .-feed and return paths for. thecooling water or: other temperature controlling fluid. or medium. The: inner. end of the pipe I22 is provided with. arigidly' attached. plug I30 which is supported in the-end of a filler and connecting cylindrical rod: I31 which: extends through the: central portion of the shaft 39 and supports-the inner endsiof the pipes I22 associated with 0p.- posite ends of said shaft 30. It may be men '0 prevented sin'cei the fittings I 23 to which-said pipesin opposite endsof the shaft arescrewlireaded; are: held by the aboveamentioned -sta-= tionary brackets I28; Filler rod I3I is slightly smaller in'diameter than the bore I21 andis pinned at itsucenter to the shaft 3|]- for rotation therewith.-

To providea thorough scouring turbulent flow of water iniits return pathr from the holes I29 to the discharge elbow I25, I provide wire helix I32. which is preferablyrigidly attached to: the. exterior surface of the-pipe I22 andisclosely adjacent to the cylindricalsurfaceiof the-bore--I2I.-, though slightly spaced from: said surface, since.

. the-shaft 3El-rotates while the wire helix' I32 is stationary.- It is evident that cooling water in: troduced by way of the feed elbow' I 24"will flow through the: fitting. I23 into the pipe I22 and out of the radial openings oriholes I29 and thence will return: by agreatly elongated and-helical path-ofreduced cross-sectiona1 area to providewhat is known as turbulent flow, during which itwill scour the internal surface of theadjacent portion of the shaft 3!] provided by the bore- IZI; ultimately1 flowing through? thefitting I23 and the' dischargevelbow" I25; This elongated helical path together with the securing action will in: sure proper cooling of the shaft 3!! and through" it the bearing; I139 so as to pre ent burning out of-said bearing a-nd undue heating 'of the lubri eating-oil for it; which is-within the bearing box? 29:. I also contemplate the'use of the structure asabovedescribed for heating a shaftwith a hot fluid. or medium suchas hot gas, air or water. 55 This: feature is disclosed and claimed in my divisionai application. Serial No. 117,702, filed September 2d, 1949,: entitled Cooling meansforelevator bearing shaft.

Attention is now directed particularly to Fig. 0 Grof the drawingsand to the structure of the foot shaft assembly 38 andthe. mechanism for mounting therfoot -shaft 3'! for vertical adjustment-in the slots 52. The structure illustratedin- Fig ...6 is duplicatedon eachside of the unit;

The: footshaft assembly 38 includes each side traction wheel. 29; the structure of which is illustrated indetai in Fi s. 5 and. 9. of the drawingssaidwheel'te includes a hubi send plain ring typarim i34 the hub and rim 70 split;. the former being assembled and clam ed tovth-e shaft 32-? by a pair of elongated bolts I35; the'sectionsfofrrim. I34-being connected by spaced 13011151353. Interconnectingthe hub: i 53 and rim;

I3 1 ishaiplurality ofyelze. type spokes 13?. This to:

rs'be vnotedif that allilof th spokes I311 zextendifrom.

tioned: that axial movement of the pipes I22 isthe hub I33 to the rim I34 in a similar manner and each is offset from the radial to provide for relative expansion between the hub I33 and the rim I34. To aid in this expansion the opposite ends of each spoke I31 are pivotally attached to the hub I33 and rim l3t by rivets 35 and respectively. It is evident that if the ring should expand under the influence of the heat in the casing 413 it will be free to do so and the spokes I31 will swing about their pivot points and move toward a radial position. Conversely, should the rim E34 contract, the spokes Ifll would move farther away from the radial position.

The construction provided is such as to compensate readily for wide temperature variations to which the wheel 39 is subjected, and to take care of the fact that shaft 3'! is cooled while the rim 53 i is very hot while the conveyor is in operation. The hub I33 and the major portion of each of the spokes IS'I are embedded in a drum of insulating material let which is built up of a plurality of axially separable sections held together by longitudinal tie bolts iii. The drum Mil is also split along a plane passing through the axis of shaft 31, the parts being held together by tie bolts not shown. The insulating materiai which is between the spokes I if may be plastic in form when the foot shaft assembly is originally assembled and it will become hard under the influence of the heat to which it is subjected. Each end of the shaft 37 extends through a round hole in the insulation plate 65 and the attached steel plate I, as previously described, and a stufiing box I42 is attached to the plate 5| which provides a seal between said shaft 31 and said steel plate Iii adjacent this opening. Each end of shaft 5'? is also supported in a journal bearing M3 which is of the totally enclosed type and which is mounted in a beam I44. The two beams Hi l on opposite sides of the casing 40 are preferably placed inside the main frame 20 and constitute the two side mem bers of a box like frame I45 (see Fig. 1) the structure of which is described more completely here inafter.

Mechanism is provided for cooling each of the bearings I43 which is generally similar in structure to that above described in connection with bearing boxes 29. That it, the shaft 3? is hollow and there is a fitting I46 adjacent each end thereof which is received in a collar l l'l clamped to the shaft 31, there being a packing ring and associated packing gland M8 to provide a water seal between the cylindrical outer surface of the fitting I46 and the collar I41, as well as with the rotating shaft 31. and is supported by a bracket I59 which is connected to the beam I44. Connected to the fitting I45 is a pipe I55 the outside surface of which is spaced inwardly from the bore I5l of the hollow shaft 31. Cooling water feed elbow H52 is connected through fitting I45 to the interior of pipe I59 and water discharge elbow I53 is connected by fitting M6 to the passageway formed on the outside of the pipe I50 and the surface of bore I5I. The two pipes I50 which extend from opposite sides of the assembly 33 are connected to gether and this construction is slightly different from that of the assembly 3! in that a pipe 554 telescopes with the two pipes I55 and is riveted to them. This pipe I54 is provided with radial bores I55 providing ports to permit the feed water on the interior of the pipes I50 to flow outwardly into the return passageways between the outside of pipes I50 and the inside of hollow shaft 31. A brass helix I56 surrounds each pipe I50 and is The fitting I 35 is stationary rigidly attachedthereto and spaced a very small amount from the wall of bore I5I to provide an elongated helical path for the cooling water, causing it to scour the interior surface of the hollow shaft I5I and thus to cool it. It is to be noted that the cooling path of this foot shaft 31 extends appreciably into the assembly 33 and consequently the interior thereof will be cooled to a greater extent than the interior of the head shaft assembly 3!. This difference is provided because it is desired to cool the foot wheels 39 as much as possible as their construction provides for considerable expansion and contraction of the rim I34. On the other hand, it is not desired to cool the sprocket wheel 32 to any great extent to cause such a temperature differential between inner plate 98 and the outer ring I55. It is to be understood, however, that if desired the head sprockets may follow the general construction of the foot wheels 39 by providing teeth on the rims thereof and under such conditions if it is desired, the cooling arrangement illustrated for the foot shaft may be employed for the head shaft. Conversely, the head shaft and associated parts may be employed for the foot shaft.

Attention is now directed particularly to Fig. 1 of the drawings and to the construction which provides for the floating vertical relation of the foot shaft assembly The boxlike frame I45 is pivotally mounted at its rear on two pivot points one of which is seen at l5'I, said pivots I57 being mounted on rollers which roll between he top and bottom guides I58. As a consequence, as the frame 15 pivots about said pivots I51 they move in a horizontal plane to provide for vertical or rectilinear instead of arcuate travel of the shaft 31. It is, of course, evident that the axis of pivots l5'l is parallel with the axis of shaft 31. It is also desirable to indicate the position of the frame M5 and, as a consequence, of the shaft 31 in a slot 52. To this end one of the frame beams is provided with a pointer I59 which cooperates with a stationary scale It attached to the main frame 2!! and indicates directly the position of the frame I45. It is, of course, obvious that in view of the great height of the elevator or conveyor there will be an exceedingly heavy load on the head shaft 36 and on the links of chains 33 at the upper ends since they must support the weight of substantially the entire conveyor mechanism 54. In order not to increase this load further, the frame I45 and the foot shaft assembly 33 is substantially counterbalanced by means of a counterbalancing weight IEI preferably mounted in a housing I52 and suspended from one or more cables I63 which is reeved over a pulley I64 which may be hooked to any frame structure and attached to a double diameter drum I65. One or more suspension cables or rods I66 extend from the small diameter of the drum I65 to the free end of the frame I d5. The double cylindrical drum I65 operates as a moment multiplier to reduce the necessary weight of the counterbalancing weight I5I. The structure above described that provides for vertical floating of the foot shaft assembly 38 and for indicating its position is claimed in my divisional application, Serial No. 711,910, filed November 23, 1946, for a Conveyor shaft counterbalancing and indicating apparatus.

In the operation of the device comprising my invention, the hot material such as clay or fullers earth is fed to the feed chute 48 and by it directly into the buckets 35 as they travel upwardly from the foot shaft assembly 38 along their working or elevating run. As the buckets 35 travel over the head shaft assembly ii they discharge onto the discharge chute 42, some of the material being first received by the auxiliary discharge chute 3. The draft chains 33 are guided through the totally enclosing and insulating housing 49 by the sectional guides 8b, the insulated casing or housing being made up of individual panels, individually suspended from the main frame 25 and is free to contract or expand under variations in temperature and variations in atmospheric conditions including Wind and rain.

In case of a shut down when it is desirable to cool out the interior of casing or housing (iii the exhaust door #25 at the top or head section ii is opened and the draft door =39 is opened, producing a draft through the casing it by virtue of the temperature therein. In view of the high temperature within the housing or casing till, which may be as high as 1000 degrees Fahrenheit, provision has been made for cooling the bearings and associated portions of the head and foot shafts 3d and 3t, respectively.

While provision has been made for the free vertical movement of the foot shaft, which may be caused by differences in temperature within the housing or casing 25, this has been accomplished by providing a heat and dust seal adjacent the foot shaft 3?. Furthermore, both the head sprocket wheels and the foot wheels for the two strands of chain 33 have been especially constructed to take care of differences in temperature adjacent the outer rims thereof compared with the hubs or portions thereof attached to their respective shafts. Structure of the head and foot wheels is described and claimed in my co -pending application Serial No. 607,115, filed July 28, 1945, entitled Wheel construction. The casing or housing construction is fully insulated. Furthermore, the housing 53 is relieved of all functions as a main frame and an entirely separate structural tower or main frame is provided. Furthermore, the panel construction of the housing or casing lid provides for expansion and contraction thereof under varying internal temperatures and external atmospheric conditions.

Obviously those skilled in the art may make various changes in the details and arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the claims hereto appended, and I wish therefore not to be restricted to the precise construction herein disclosed.

Having thus described and shown an embodiment of my invention, what I now desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In an elevator adapted to operate at temperatures varying widely from the ambient temperatures, the combination with a structural main frame, of conveyor mechanism in said frame, a housing for said conveyor mechanism formed of separate insulated panels, one above the other, and separated conveyor guide means on separate panels in vertical alignment to guide the conveyor mechanism while providing for vertical movement of said guides relative to each other in response to differences in expansion and contraction of said main frame and panels.

2. in an elevator adapted to operate at temperatures varying widely from the ambient temperatures, the combination with a structural main frame, of conveyor mechanism in said frame, a housing for said conveyor mechanism formed, of

separate insulated panels, one above the other, and separated conveyor guide means on separate panels in alignment to guide the conveyor mechanism while providing for vertical movement of said panels relative to each other in response to differences in expansion and contraction of said main frame and panels.

3. In an elevator adapted to operate at temperatures varying widely from the ambient temperaturethe combination of a structural support, a housing carried by said structural support having opposite side walls adapted to compensate for expansion without materially increasing their overall lengths, each of said walls including a plurality of panels, means rigidly mounting each of said panels in a local area thereof, conveyor mechanism within said housing, separate aligned conveyor guide means carried by each of said opposite Walls, each of guide means including separate guide members, insulation secured to and substantially covering the inside faces of each of said panels, and means extending through said insulation securing said guide members to said panels whereby said guide members may move relative to each other and to said panels in response to expansion and contraction of the panels.

4. In an elevator adapted to operate at temperatures varying widely from the ambient temperature, the combination of a structural support, a housing carried by said structural support hav ing opposite side Walls adapted to compensate for expansion without materially increasing their overall lengths, each of said walls including a plurality of panels, means rigidly mounting each of said panels in a local area thereof, conveyor mechanism within said housing, separate aligned conveyor guide means carried by each of said opposite walls, each of said guide means including separate guide members, and means securing said guide members to said panels whereby said guide members may move relative to each other and to said panels in response to expansion and contraction of the panels.

5. A conveyor housing including head and foot sections, housing structure connecting said head and foot sections including four upwardly extending main frame members one at each corner of a rectangle, means forming circumferential belts connecting said main frame members together in substantially horizontal spaced planes, each of said belt means including four plates, opposite plates of which form moment connectors and are connected at opposite ends to main frame members, and other opposite plates of which are spaced inwardly of said main frame members and are connected at their ends to said moment connectors, tubes extending between pairs of adjacent of said belts, means rigidly securing the top of each of said tubes to one of said belts, and means slidably interconnecting the bottoms of said tubes to their adjacent belts, said tubes and belts cooperating to form a casing connecting said head and foot sections wherein each tubular section of the casing may expand and contract independently of the other sections without changing the overall length of the casing.

6. A conveyor housing including a main frame having four upwardly extending spaced apart main frame members, one at each corner of a rectangle, belt means connecting said main frame members rigidly together in a substantially horizontal plane, said belt means includi four plates opposite plates of which are rigidly con- 'nected at opposite ends to main frame members and other opposite plates of which are spaced inwardly of said main frame members and are rigidly connected at their ends to said first named plates, a relatively long tubular casing having belt means and expansion and contraction of said casing relative to said frame resulting from a differential between their temperatures may occur.

7. A conveyor housing including a main frame having four upwardly extending spaced apart main frame members, one at each corner of a rectangle, means forming belts connecting said main frame members rigidly together in substantially horizontal spaced planes, each of said belt means including four plates opposite plates of which are rigidly connected at opposite ends to main frame members and other opposite plates of which are spaced inwardly of said main frame members and are rigidly connected at their ends to said first named pairs of plates, a plurality of relatively long tubular casing sections interconnecting adjacent of said belts and co-operating to form a conveyor casing extending substantially in the planes of said belt plates, means rigidly connecting each of said tubular sections at one end thereof to one of said belts, and means slidably interconnecting the opposite end of each of said tubular sections to an adjacent belt whereby each of said tubular sections is rigidly supported by one of said belts and said casing is free to expand and contract in sections between said belts while its overall length remains substantially constant.

8. A conveyor housing includinga main frame having four upwardly extending spaced apart main frame members, one at each corner of a rectangle, means forming belts connecting said main frame members rigidly together in substantially horizontal spaced planes, each of said belt means includin four plates opposite plates of which are rigidly connected at opposite ends to main frame members and other opposite plates of which are spaced inwardly of said main frame members and are rigidly connected at their ends to said first named plates, a plurality of relatively long tubular casing sections interconnecting adjacent of said belts and co-operating to form a conveyor casing extending substantially in the planes of the belt plates, each of said tubular casing sections including means forming four separate side panels, means locally rigidly connecting each of said side panels at one end thereof to one of said belts, and means slidably interconnecting the opposite end of each of said side panels to an adjacent belt whereby each of said separate panels is rigidly supported by one of said belts and said casing is free to expand and contract in sections between said belts while its overall ength remains substantially constant.

9. A conveyor housing including a main frame having four upwardly extending spaced apart main frame members, one at each corner of a rectangle, means forming belts connecting said main frame members rigidly together insubstantially horizontal spaced planes, each of said belt means including four plates opposite plates of which are rigidly connected at opposite ends to main frame members and other opposite plates of which are spaced inwardly of said main frame members and are rigidly connected at their ends to said first named plates, a plurality of relatlvely long tubular casing sections interconnecting adjacent of said belts and co-operating to form a conveyor casing extending substantially in the planes of the belt plates, each of said tubular casing sections including means forming four separate side panels, insulation attached to each of said separate side panels, means locally rigidly connecting each of said side panels at one end thereof to one of said belts, and means slidably interconnecting the opposite end of each of said side panels to an adjacent belt whereby each of said separate panels is rigidly supported by one of said belts and said casing is free to expand and contract in sections between said belts while its overall length remains substantially constant.

10. An elevator conveyor including an upstanding main frame including spaced apart upstanding frame members, laterally extending means rigidly connecting said frame members, an enclosing casing located generally between said upstanding frame members adapted to enclose conveyor mechanism including a circumferential belt disposed in a horizontal plane which forms part of said casing and part of said frame, and means rigidly connecting said belt and said upstanding frame, said enclosing casing also in- 7 Name Date 489,467 Deslauriers Jan. 10, 1893 550,681 Hiorth Dec. 3, 1895 1,247,302 McInrne Nov. 20, 1917 r 1,269,414 Fitterling June 11, 1918 1,391,703 Sturtevant Sept. 27, 1921 1,391,704 Sturtevant Sept. 27, 1921 1,439,491 Stehli Dec. 19, 1922 1,502,186 Greenwood July 22, 1924 1,639,346 Liggett Aug. 16, 1927 1,702,578 Stevens Feb. 19, 1929 1,719,475 Jacobus et al July 2, 1929 1,849,287 Fahrenwald Mar. 15, 1932 2,001,703 Brown May 21, 1935 2,007,604 Harris July 9, 1935 2,056,359 Marty Oct. 6, 1936 2,083,857 Neighbour June 15, 1937 2,144,598 Brinckerhoff et a1. Jan. 17, 1939 2,146,161 Soderquist Feb. 7, 1939 2,239,801 Voorhees Apr. 29, 1941 2,257,180 Mayer Sept. 30, 1941 2,257,758 Murch Oct. 7, 1941 1 2,269,573 Barry Jan. 13', 1942 2,270,297 Hensel Jan. 20, 1942 2,314,969 Briggs Mar. 30, 1943 2,320,318 Simpson et al May 25,1943 2,339,938 Meyer Jan. 25, 1944 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 424,585 Great Britain 1935 Number cluding casing means hanging down from said belt and connected at its top thereto, said hanging casing means being thereby suspended solely from said belt.

STANLEY M. MERCIER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS OTHER REFERENCES Theory of Structures, Spofford, published by McGraw-Hill Co., New York city, 1938, page 435. 

